This invention relates to a conveying system, comprising an endless first conveyor-belt circulating between at least first and second divert elements, a top run of the first conveyor belt forming a first conveying surface movable between the divert elements in a first conveying direction, and an endless second conveyor belt circulating between at least third and fourth divert elements, a top run of the second conveyor belt forming a second conveying surface movable between the divert elements in a second conveying direction, the top run of the second conveyor belt extending at least partly above and along the second divert element, so that the first and second conveyor belts, while including a gap-shaped interspace, are in mutually transverse alignment. Such a conveying system is known from EP 0 722 896.
Conveying systems of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph hereof are generally known and are used for conveying products in, for instance, the packaging and food industries. The conveyor belts of these systems can be designed, for instance, as rubber mats or metal mesh belts, but also as modular mats or chains from metal and/or plastic. The divert elements can then be designed, for instance, as pulleys, but also, for instance, as single or multiple chain wheels. In conveying systems, often a number of conveyor belts are connected in succession.
At places where products are to be conveyed to or from the conveying surface, as at right-angled and in-line transitions between conveyor belts and at processing stations, slide-over devices are used. An example of such a slide-over device is a slide-over plate with fingers that cooperate with grooves formed in the surface of a conveyor belt.
The conveying systems are increasingly used to convey small batches of products. Preferably, the conveying systems are then designed such that the conveying system is self-clearing, without human intervention. A drawback of the slide-over plates, also called finger plates or combs, is that at the end of a production run, the last products remain behind on the slide-over plates.
To mitigate this disadvantage, the conveying system mentioned in the opening paragraph hereof has been developed. What can be achieved owing to the top run of the second conveyor belt extending at least partly above and alongside the second divert element, is that the conveying surfaces link up without an intervening “dead” area. To make the gap-shaped interspace as small as possible, the longitudinal edge of the second conveyor belt facing the first conveyor belt is provided with a bevel.
A drawback of the conveying system mentioned in the opening paragraph hereof is that where less stable products are involved, the interspace between the first and the second conveyor belt may be too large, so that the products may fall over. The longitudinal edge of the second conveyor belt then forms, as it were, a bumper. A further disadvantage is that the longitudinal edge mentioned is susceptible to damage resulting from products butting against the edge.